


Pink Lemonade

by ImmortallyFrozen



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-10-12 11:49:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10490265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImmortallyFrozen/pseuds/ImmortallyFrozen
Summary: ppst movie. Trini finds Kim conflicted about being a ranger and talks her through it.





	

Angel Grove helps each other mend, which is more than what Kimberly would’ve given the city credit for. They make international headlines, and soon relief aid and reporters are swarming the street corners. Neighbors help neighbors, and most local businesses go on hold to assess the damage and to help where needed. Even their mayor, a short, round man, makes an announcement about how he knows their community can bounce back from this catastrophe and return as strong as ever, thanks to the strangely colored armored dinosaurs that had all but disappeared. But for the most part, things returned to how they’d always been. Even the weather seemed to grant the town a free pass, pushing the rain clouds to another town over the mountains. 

_And now everything was back to how it was supposed to be. Normal._

Kimberly knew the city would’ve been abolished, if it weren’t for the power rangers. Her team. She felt the power coin in her pocket, cool around the metal edges but slightly warm in the center. It seemed to hum and vibrate slightly whenever she touched it, and the ranger couldn’t help but grin slightly, thinking back to the band of misfits finding the coins only a couple days ago. 

_Was everything just supposed to go back to how it was before? The team had been on the road to being good friends, but whenever she was uncertain, she chose to retreat back into her shell of familiarity._

If things went back to before, she’d still return to Angel Grove High School as “Former Queen Bee” and “Former Cheerleader.” Not that titles mattered a whole much to others, but when you’ve been striving for ‘perfect’ for the past years and understand how middle school and high school were all about appearances, you started to care about hierarchy and labels and all that. Getting harassed by the cheer squad and landing in detention didn’t help her cause either. To put it simply, she’d already used up all her street cred and didn’t have the means to get more. It was difficult. Riding at the top and suddenly having everyone turn their backs on you. 

That was where she was headed, anyways. Back to the top of the mountain. The gold mine had turned into a home base for the rangers, with Zack lightly tapping the “Do not trespass” sign like an old joke whenever he passed it. Although all the gold had disappeared and the police had issued careful warnings about the area, the team still met to train and improve their skills.

 _But do you really want that?_ If she were being honest, she’d come to return the coin. Throw it into the water, and let whichever hiker or adventurous rebel come pick it up and be the next ranger. They’d be in safe hands and the team was welcoming. This wasn’t her life. It was too different and most importantly, too scary. 

Kimberly reached the crest of the hill and took a deep breath. She loved this particular spot. To the left, she could see the outlines of Angel Grove. If she tried hard enough, she could almost imagine it going back to how it was before. Directly below her was the pool that hid the entrance to the command center. Although her special lake wasn’t visible, she knew it was on her right, shielded by the tall pine trees. The tranquil moment was broken by a shout.

“Hey!” 

Kimberly turned around, inwardly smiling at seeing the shorter figure approach. That was another thing that had changed. _Having friends._ Sure, she’d had her clique back in middle school and high school, but being a power ranger made her feel valued and loved. Which was a refreshing change, because, you know, it was great talking to people who actually cared about you as a person and not have to worry about them stabbing you in the back later. 

So, yeah. You could say there were perks to this whole power rangers gig. But did she want to continue with it? She wasn’t so sure.

“What are you doing all the way up here?” the other girl cast a sideway glance at her. “It’s Saturday, so we’re off. Zordon even said we deserved a break.” Kimberly chuckled at that, nodding in agreement. She looped her arm through Trini’s, tugging her close and pulling her forward to the very tip of the mountain. Trini went without hesitation, and Kimberly smirked, remembering a particular day after practice when Zach stepped into her personal space.

_“Hands off, Zach. We only just met.” The yellow ranger shrugged his arm off around her shoulders, glaring. He’d laughed and backed up, palms raised in apology._

“I like the view from up here. You can see the town and almost pretend Rita didn’t rip right through it looking for a god damn donut store. It makes me think of-,” Kimberly broke off suddenly. _Being here makes me think I’m worthy of the coin. Of the team._ “It just helps me think and clear my head, that’s all.” 

Trini studied her friend. She looked strong and beautiful, and Trini knew that she was terribly strong and beautiful, with the wind tugging on her hair and the sun on her face. But her eyes were troubled. “It’s a helluva good view, though,” Trini said after a moment.

Kimberly laughed again, the sound bouncing off the rock around them. Encouraged, Trini continued. “I mean, Angel Grove’s got its ups and downs, and it was roughed up a bit, but it looks okay to me. It’ll endure and mend.” She paused, and Kimberly could’ve sworn she felt Trini glance at her quickly as she said, “Some might even call it pretty from up here.”

The taller girl turned to look at Trini fully, who seemed to be staring very pointedly straight ahead. Her arm was tense under the green jacket, though Kimberly couldn’t imagine why. After a pause, Kimberly said heatedly. “It’s never pretty, not even up close. In fact, that’s the worst, seeing it up close with the cracks. It’s one-half broken and one-half ugly. ” She blinked back tears and shook her head.

Kimberly kicked a couple of the small rocks and pulled away, sitting down on the dry grass and letting her legs dangle over the side. She looked up at Trini, who was staring at her with an unreadable expression. “Sit with me,” she said, patting the grass next to her.

Trini dropped her backpack to the ground but didn’t move, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “Wow, the princess wants to sit on the edge of a cliff now? You surprise me, Hart.” Kimberly shot her an uneasy look, but didn’t say anything, brushing some dirt off her black jeans. Trini sat cross-legged next to her, anyways, plopping down on the hard earth. Their arms brushed slightly.

Trini cleared her throat. “You know, I actually think those are the best parts. The broken and ugly bits,” she clarified. “They make everything more real, and when you see it all together, it becomes something even better than what you originally imagined.” Trini looked back out across the chasm, gazing at anything but at the girl next to her. 

Said girl next to her was staring at her, deep in thought. Kimberly fidgeted with the patches on her friend’s backpack, her fingers brushing gently over a yellow lemonade patch. Trini turned to watch her quietly.

“When we first found the power coins and you all said it _chose_ me, I wanted to put it back,” the smaller girl confessed quietly. “Just drop it and never come back. I’m good at that, you know.” She takes the glowing yellow power coin from her jacket pocket and lays it in the center of her palm.

Kimberly stared at Trini in disbelief. So she wasn’t the only one who’d had doubts. “Why’d you take it anyways?” She takes out her own magenta coin, resting it in the palm of her hand as well. Yellow and pink light reflect off its glass surface, the colorful light humming with energy.

“It sucked in the beginning, don’t get me wrong. I’m sure I still have some bruises from day one,” Trini laughed lightly and Kimberly nodded, thinking of the area on her upper right side. “But I met all of you guys. And even if I didn’t know it at the time, the team helped me grow. And you guys always had my back.” 

“And we need you to cover our butts with your kickass Sabertooth Zord,” Kimberly nudged her teasingly before pulling her into a tight hug. “Thank you. I- we need you, Lemonade.” She puts her pink coin into her pocket, back where it belongs.

“Hold up. _Lemonade_?” Trini scrunched up her nose and mock glared at her friend. “Do I look like I’m five?”

“You have that cute lemonade patch on your backpack,” Kimberly said, smirking. “That means it’s fair game.” _She’s adorable when she’s flustered._

Trini seemed at a loss for words. “But I don’t even _like_ lemonade. One of my brothers got me this patch for my birthday last year,” she explained. “Pick something else, Hart.” 

“I already chose. Can’t do anything about it now.” 

“That’s stupid!”

“Whatever you say, Lemonade.”

——————————————————————————————————————————

A couple of days later, after the group has finished a particularly hard training session and has agreed to meet up at Billy’s that night for a movie _(“Seriously? How have none of you guys seen Harry Potter?”)_ , only the girls remain at the bottom of the reflection pool. 

Kimberly goes up to Trini. After their talk on the mountain, which ended with Trini trying to (but hopelessly) ignore her friend as payback for the nickname, there seemed to be a new understanding between the two and they’d begun hanging out.

“So you know a little about me now,” she begins as Trini rolls her eyes and adjusts the straps on her backpack. The lemonade patch is noticeable on the brown backpack and Kimberly smiles. “What do you think when you see me, Lemonade?” There’s a slight quiver in her voice as she asks the question.

Kimberly holds her breath, a million thoughts flying around in her head. Maybe if she can redeem herself with one person, she can start again and take a small step in the direction of the person she wants to be. And then things wouldn’t have to go back to the way they were before. Keeping the power coin meant accepting her new life, former queen bee be damned. She thinks this might be better than being top dog at a local high school, but what if she hadn’t changed as much as she’d thought or changed into someone worse?

Trini looks up abruptly but unlike before, she doesn’t look away or flinch. Brown eyes meet hazel and hold them, studying her intently. Kimberly shivers from the closeness, and maybe she’s imagined it, but her power coin feels a lot warmer now, against her side. Trini blinks slowly and tilts her head to the side, her ponytail swaying gently. Kimberly thinks Trini understands everything that went through her mind. She wants her to.

“I see someone who’s conflicted, but has a good heart, and wants to change,” they maintain eye contact, the water casting distorted reflections on their faces. Somehow, it makes it feel more intimate. “I see someone who wants to belong, but doesn’t think she’ll ever be good enough, and that scares her to pieces.”

Trini’s voice is strong and steady. It is unwavering and lightly echoes around the cave as she finishes, “I know someone who is beautiful and broken and fearless and everything in between. She belongs and she’s good. I think she’s perfect.”

 _Perfect._

The word echoes in Kimberly’s mind and as she wordlessly pulls Trini in for a fierce hug. The last shreds of guilt lift from her chest and she feels light.

_This is the new normal now, and that’s okay._

——————————————————————————————————————————

Later that night, when the whole team’s camped around Billy’s TV set and the film’s about to start, Kimberly hands Trini something under their shared blanket. It’s dark, and their faces are half shrouded in the darkness.

“What is this,” Trini whispers. “Is this a water bottle? Very funny, Hart.” She takes a swig, anyways. “Not bad. What is it?”

Kimberly stifles a smile and leans in, her lips hovering right above Trini’s ear. “Actually, it’s _pink_ lemonade,” she whispers, “It’s my favorite.” Trini’s gone stiff, and her arm is tense under the blanket. Kimberly blows lightly on the goosebumps on her neck, smirking all the while. 

Trini remains tense even as the taller girl leans back onto the couch, looking too smug. It’s not until Kimberly moves under the blanket and gently laces her fingers with hers that she lets out a long breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“You know, I think I might like pink lemonade,” Trini says, casting a sideways glance at Kimberly, who gives her hand a light squeeze. She slides down on the couch, resting her head on Trini’s shoulder. It’s nice under the blanket, and the girl next to her is warm and soft and beautiful and real. “Pink and yellow, huh?”

“Apparently it’s the perfect combination for lemonade, Lemonade.” 

“…”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, thanks for making it to the end. This is my first fic, so any feedback would be appreciated. I saw Power Rangers a couple days ago and then saw the pink lemonade tumblr art and bam, this happened. Come say hi to me on tumblr! @bluekatieyoung
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
